Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to one or more embodiments of pet toys, each of which is resistant to destruction caused by the chewing action of a pet.
Discussion of the Related Art
A successful pet toy must satisfy six general criteria (“general criteria”): (1) may not be injurious to a pet; (2) design attractiveness to a purchaser; (3) initial interest by the pet; (4) continued engagement by the pet; (5) durability when played with by a pet; and (6) price attractiveness to a purchaser.
Design attractiveness to a purchaser (“design attractiveness”) requires that the pet toy have an aesthetic appearance that make the stand out among shelves of pet toys in a retail location
Initial interest by the pet (“initial interest”) requires that upon first encountering the pet toy, the pet should show an interest in playing with the toy. This can be achieved by an appealing shape, interesting sound, insertion of a treat, or other means.
Initial interest does not guaranty that the pet will continue to engage the toy (“continued engagement”). Continued engagement requires that the toy presents sufficient interest, for example, by removing a treat hidden inside a pet toy, so that the pet will play with the toy even after having been exposed to it.
Durability requires that the pet toy resist damage or destruction for a prolonged period. Price attractiveness to a purchaser (“price attractiveness”) requires that the selling price of the pet toy be properly positioned for the kind of pet toy that is being purchased. Since the retail price is typically multiples of the manufacturing costs, price attractiveness means that the cost of manufacture be appropriate for the toy. However, as each of the general criteria is met, the costs increase.
A tennis ball or a tennis ball style toy meets many, but not all, of the criteria. It uses a core that is made of inexpensive rubber on which inexpensive felt material is glued. While pets, especially dogs, show an initial interest and continue to engage with the toy, the felt has a tendency to cause wear on the teeth of the pet.
Tennis balls also do not last long with aggressively biting pets. Tennis balls are typically filled with pressurized air so that the ball has sufficient bounce for competitive sport play. Aggressive biters readily breach the core of a tennis ball rendering it limp and uninteresting for the pet.
From empirical observations, it is believed that purchasers find a tennis ball to be a purchase of last choice and is based simply on the minimal cost of a tennis ball or tennis ball style toy.
In contrast, an aesthetically pleasing rubber or vinyl pet toy has a higher likelihood of being purchased. These toys are designed to be safe for pets and pets generally show a great amount of interest in the toys when first introduced to them.
Vinyl toys are generally inexpensive, but not durable. Rubber toys tend to be durable based on the quality of rubber that is used, but the material costs also increase with an increase in rubber quality. Even when high quality rubber is used, limitations due to the manufacturing process may prevent a toy from being designed in such a way as to have continued engagement by the pet.
Durability is an important factor when a pet is an aggressive biter.
Thus, what is desired is a pet toy that satisfies all of the above criteria at an economical cost.